Does Your Equipment Equal the Job?
In the mid-2000 teens, when I finally started playing bass more professionally, I showed up at a very small gig with the very top-of-the-line equipment. Aguilar everything and a Lakland bass that I could barely play. Many thousands of dollars.
Pretty showy, and as I don't like relic instruments, or pretend aging, as I like to call it, it all looked sparkly and brand new.
The guitarist commented on my equipment when I walked in, and then while we were setting up, again commented on it, and again, while we were breaking down, commented on my equipment.
And kept commenting on it.
Lesson learned.
You've got to have equipment that equals what the job is/ who you are.
Playing covers at a shithole bar does not require $5,000 worth of bass equipment. Or in that case, maybe it was $3k.
So it goes with DJ Pro and using your iPad.
I have an iPad mini with 128 gigs. And that is more than sufficient.
Since I clogged it up a week ago, I've taken everything off of it that isn't for DJing or OnSong, which is notes for shows. That's it. That's all this iPad can do, no other apps.
And I don't think I've even filled half of it, memory-wise.
I have about 1,000 song files on there, and I would argue that that's all you'll ever need.
Given the way streaming is and stuff like that at parties, you should always have these hard files as a backup-streaming can be really unreliable sometimes and totally reliable other times.
So, I would caution you against depending on it solely. And always having something ready to go insofar as tracks go- hard tracks that are on your iPad.
This is all to say that I don't think you need anything more than 1,000 songs and 128 gigs. 64 gigs is too small, just because of system software. But that 128g is the sweet spot, price vs. utility.
It also keeps me on managing my library, which is a kind of a forced discipline that someone like me needs.
It's no fun to show up to a gig with the best stuff and be the worst.
But if you show up like me, looking like you cobbled something together from a pawn shop, everyone's going to be pleasantly surprised, as I have some skills in my hip pocket. Check this video out.